


The Oldest Form of Currency

by Jane0Doe



Series: I'll Give You All Of Me Until There's Nothing Left [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Female Jason Todd, Good Sister Jayla Todd, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sex, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, Jason Todd Deserves Better, Jason Todd Has Issues, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Prostitution, fem jason todd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:53:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26635417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jane0Doe/pseuds/Jane0Doe
Summary: Sex is sex.It can be a tool for manipulation, a form of easy pleasure, a source of power in magic and a bargaining chip in deals to make things go her way.It’s intimate and makes you vulnerable in all the best and worst ways but all the truest artforms are like this.Sex in her mind she supposes, is a bit like fighting. Multiple forms and ways to use it but at the end of the day it’s just another weapon in her arsenal. More subtle than her guns but no less effective.
Relationships: Lex Luthor/Jason Todd, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Series: I'll Give You All Of Me Until There's Nothing Left [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1908895
Comments: 27
Kudos: 79





	1. Chptr1 - Deals and Dining: the Business of Seduction

“You’re overthinking this Tim.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

“I’m not.” 

“You aren’t”

“I a- don’t do that Cassie!”

“Tim.” She sighed with a slightly scolding edge. 

“It just doesn’t make sense alright! Luthor had no reason to let us go.”

“He didn’t let us do anything Tim, we escaped!”

“Did we?”

She reels back slightly but can’t bring herself to refute him again because the truth is, he wasn’t the only one with doubts about what happened.

Taking advantage of her momentary silence Tim rushes onwards.

“Because the way I remember it we were absolutely fucked. We had no extraction plan, no backup, I was unconscious and the rest of you had inhibitor collars on! Then suddenly the fuse in Kon’s collar blows and he manages to rip off everyone else’s without somehow triggering an alarm or secondary safety feature? Oh, and of course the hallway outside just happened to be conveniently clear? That doesn’t happen Cassie. Not to anyone but especially not to us!”

“Alright! So maybe there’s something… off about what happened but do you really think hacking the asshole is going to help?”

A hollow look takes over Tim’s face and she can’t help but feel guilty at the harsh tone she used.

“I Don’t know. Probably not. Maybe. At the very least I might be able to see what happened in the building after we were found. I can’t- I was unconscious for several hours Cassie and I wasn’t with you guys for most of that time. I want- no. I need to know what happened whilst we were separated. Even if it doesn’t answer any of my other questions.”

The guilt grows greater.

“I- I’m sorry Tim, I didn’t even think-”

“I know.”

Silence stretched between them. Only broken by the rhythmic tapping of computer keys as Timothy worked his way into the Lex Corps system.

“I’m in.”

“That was quick.”

“Too quick.”

And with that he was off again checking for back hacks and other failsafe’s that might have been hidden within the firewall. With each moment he got more and more irritated and it became clear to Cassie that whatever he was looking for, Tim wasn’t finding it.

With a frustrated yelp Tim pushed his chair out, leapt to his feet and began pacing as he tugged on his hair. A clear sign that he was stressed if she ever saw one.

“I take it you didn’t find what you were looking for?”

“it’s too easy! I’ve hacked Lex before, and it’s never been this easy!”

Choosing to ignore the admission to cybercrimes, she moved forward to block his pacing and force him to look at her.

“Focus, Tim! What does that mean? If it’s too easy does that mean it’s a trap or a set up? I need you to calm down and think boy wonder, is he trying to mess with us?”

Halting his strides, Tim closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Cassie could practically hear him counting down from 30 in his head.

When he opened his eyes again, he was distinctly calmer, and an almost clinical look flickering across his face.

“If- the fact that I got in so easily means that Lex wants me to see the footage. Whether that’s to send a message or some part of one of his elaborate plots I don’t know.”

“Should we ignore it?”

She watched him hesitate for a moment, trying to ensure that his decision was driven by logic and not personal desire. If it was just him, she knows he’d already be watching it, damn the emotional or psychological consequences to himself. But this involved the team and he wouldn’t risk the rest of them on snap judgements

“No.” he stated finally. There was a weight to it that left a heavy feeling between the two of them. Like they’d just made a decision that would affect everything that they knew.

She didn’t like it.

“Good. I’ll get the others.”

“Cas-”

“That wasn’t a suggestion Tim. We’re a team and we work best when we’re together. No secrets. Isn’t that what we promised?”

It’s a low blow and she almost regrets it when she sees the way Tim flinches as if he’s been whipped. But-

It’s necessary. Tim – like all the other bats– tends to put himself on the line for those around him at great cost to himself, especially when loved ones are involved. He needs to know he can depend on them and letting him face whatever… gift Luthor has left for them alone is the exact opposite of being supportive.

She doesn’t want another incident like the one with Ra’s al Ghul a few months back. Tim can say what he likes, Cassie knows that he wasn’t expecting Dick to save him. One second later and-

She doesn’t like to think about it.

.

When they’ve all finally settled down, they turn to the plasma Tv almost in sync as Tim finally presses play to the CCTV footage of the 3 days they were held within Luthor’s complex.

It isn't until after they make it through the first few hours and they see that Tim spent the entirety of his time away from them in one of Luthor’s medical suits that they all let out an unconscious sigh of relief.

From there the next few hours were almost mundane as they speed watched footage from several cameras at once. Each flicking their eyes from one to another at random intervals.

It wasn’t until they reached the six our mark – around halfway through day three – that Bart zipped forward and yelled “Stop!”

Jerking slightly at the unexpected noise, Cassie would deny until her last breath that she let out an ungodly squawk upon hearing Impulse.

Looking around she found that she could take comfort in the fact that she wasn’t the only one surprised by Bart’s outburst.

Conner had fallen out of his Chair, Gar had shapeshifted and was hissing slightly in displeasure, Raven and Eddie appeared unaffected, but Rose was swearing a blue streak. As for Tim, the remote was held in a white-knuckle grip and his teeth were grit in a slight grimace. 

Clearly, she wasn’t the only one tense right now. Though it did raise the question as to why they were all on edge when there appeared to be no reason for it.

Then again, anything involving Luthor was… difficult.

“What the fuck Bart?!”

“Don’t do that!”

“Sorry, sorry” blabbed the speedster at a barely human speed; “But you really need to look at Camera 5!”

Wordlessly Tim turned back the time by an hour then made camera 5 full screen. A video of Luthor’s private office took centre stage. They sped through at a slower pace, each noting this time that Luthor appeared to be waiting for someone. It wasn’t until half the reversed hour had passed that they saw the door begin to open, at which point Tim returned it to normal speed.

To the surprise of all but Bart, Red Hood stalked in towards Luthor, her path unhindered by security.

“Come now Hood, you’re well aware that this isn’t how I conduct our negotiations. Are you really going to start us off on the wrong foot by disobeying the dress code? Then again it’s only Red Robin and his tagalongs on the line so maybe you just don’t care.”

They watched in silent dread, anticipating that the Hood would lash out as she was want to do when angered. The woman was known for her temper even before being dipped in the Lazarus pit after all.

Instead, she removed her helmet and scowled at the man.

“Lex.”

“Hood.”

It seemed like an eternity had passed as the two continued to stand off against one another, tensions steadily mounting until just as suddenly as it had started it… stopped.

Luthor smirked and Hood allowed a lazy smile that showed far too many teeth to grace her lips.

“Lex.”

“Hood.”

“if you insist.”

“Always.”

With a smug gleam in her eye the anti-hero began to strip.

She wanted to turn to the others and ask if they were seeing this too but couldn’t find it in herself to look away as a cloying mix of horror and unwanted arousal built within her.

Cassie had always known Hood was beautiful, it was an annoying characteristic that all Bats shared, but it was one thing to fantasise about the older woman, quite another to have those daydreams confirmed in the worst way possible.

By the gods, if Luthor required her to strip just to parley over their release, what in the world had his actual demands been?

What had their freedom cost the woman?

Stripped of her clothes and weapons, clad only in blood red lingerie, Hood slunk forward and straddled the man’s lap so that she was sat upon the very tips of his knees, her arms draped around his neck.

The CEO’s response was to grasp her by the hips and drag her down against him.

“Much better.”

“God, you’re such a perv Lex” the statement would have been biting, if not for the slight curve to her lips and the undertone that bellied her mirth. 

But was she actually amused? Whispered a voice in the back of Cassie’s mind. Or was she just pretending to make this all end faster?

“I think you’ll find that the proper term is an opportunist. After all, what kind of man would turn down the chance to see all this?”

To emphasise his point, he gave the vigilante’s ass a tight squeeze and bared his teeth in a mockery of a smile as he watched her shudder.

“Tell me what you want Lex”

And if Hood's voice was slightly more breathless than it was before? Cassie certainly wasn’t going to say anything.

“No foreplay? Pity.”

He actually sounded sorry too, she couldn’t help but think in disgust.

“You’ll pay for all the damages they caused.”

“Half. One of them’s your kid as well remember?”

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Conner cringe backwards, away from the screen, at the reference to his biological relation to Luthor. She offered him her hand in support but otherwise kept quiet as the scene unfolded before them. 

“You say that like I care.”

“Don’t be an ass Lex. I don’t understand your insistence on making the kid believe you’re indifferent but please remember who you’re talking to. I’m the one that you payed to hunt down the Cadmus scientists that-”

“I get the point. Very well. Half each on damages. I also want them to stop breaking into my facilities.”

“and when I was 5, I wanted my mummy to stop taking her special candy and daddy to stop throwing beer bottles at me.” retorted Hood mockingly as she shifted on his lap and drew his head closer to her bosom; “We can’t always get what we want Lex and you know I have no control over what the little birdy and his friends do. If I try to ask them to leave you alone, they’ll just assume I’m working with you on something and ‘going bad’ again. At best they’ll try to stage an intervention at worst they’ll try to lock me up. Again.”

“One wonders why you care so much with them causing all this trouble. What do you think they’d say if they knew how you’d debased yourself like this? Do you think they would be thankful? Or do you think they would be revolted-”

“Don’t. Please don’t Lex.”

Cassie had thought that she was beyond surprise at this point. Guilt? Oh she had that in spades, but surprise? No. she had thought she had reached her limit. That nothing more could be said on these tapes that would shock her.

Then Red Hood had all but begged Luthor to stop his goading in a tiny broken voice and she’d found out that she was still capable of the feeling.

By the gods, Diana always did warn her not to tempt fate.

She felt ill. Thinking back on how she’d treated the fellow vigilante. She’d been pissed over what happened with Tim but… it didn’t excuse her actions. Particularly when she’d known that Hood and Robin had brokered a peace.

She still believed that she’d been right to be weary, but she hadn’t needed to be so cruel. That she now knew some of those comments had likely struck far deeper wounds than she’d realised at the time just made her feel worse.

Silence reigned in the room and on the plasma as Hood blushed in embarrassment at the show of emotion and looked away from Luthor. Surprisingly enough the man appeared apologetic. Or as apologetic as a Luthor could at any rate.

Reaching forward, he grasped her chin gently with one hand and turned her face back towards him so that he could look her in the eyes as he said; “I… am sorry. That was uncalled for and I shouldn’t have said it.”

“it’s fine.” She responded softly with a wobbly smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s not like you’re wrong.”

Fuck. 

Hearing that hurt.

“No, it isn’t fine my little vixen and I am truly sorry.”

She couldn’t help but shudder at the pet name he had given her.

As Hood became slightly flustered at the nickname being used Cassie’s skin crawled as she wondered how little positive attention the vigilante received that Lex Luthor could make her react like that.

As Hood pulled herself together, she smiled a second time and this one was much more believable. 

She cleared her throat before responding; “Really Lex, just forget it and tell me what you really want out of this meeting.”

“There’s a convention coming up in a months’ time. Mercy will be there of course as my assistant, but it doesn’t hurt to be paranoid. Especially seeing as the event has a history of being attacked. If it wasn’t so prestigious, I wouldn’t risk it but, needs must and all that. It’s a weeklong on an Island off the coast of Greece, I want you to come as my plus one.”

“I’ll be acting as a secondary line of security I assume but, let me guess, should things get a little dull…”

“Well, I imagine you’ll have to entertain me. That shouldn’t be too hard given your expertise” he finished dryly as his hands moved back to their previous position on her ass. 

“you know if you missed me that much you could have just hired me to go on this trip with you Lex.”

“Now where’s the fun in that? In all seriousness though Hood, get your brother in line. I don’t have the time to be dealing with him and his motley crew whenever they think I’m up to something”

“You’re always up to something” commented Jayla dryly.

“That’s not the point and you know it. Get them in line Hood or our next parley won’t be nearly as pleasurable.”

Grinning wickedly as she got off his lap, the still barely clothed vigilante continued to smirk as she snagged her property and sashayed away. 

No hint of the momentary vulnerability from before showing. 

She didn’t even stop to get dressed as she headed towards the elevator.

With a playful wave she threw one final parting comment over her shoulder “promises, promises Lex, you’ll spoil a girl.”

Shifting slightly to deal with his erection, the businessman lifted his head to look up at the camera and smiled as he chuckled slightly.

If he chose to respond to her parting comment, they never heard as a moment later the screen shattered under the force of the remote hitting it.

For a long time no one spoke, each looking towards the others to brave the third robins wrath.

Apparently, they were all cowards.

Finally, after several long moments, Eddie of all people (although maybe it wasn’t so surprising given his history with the Hood) tentatively tried to speak.

“Tim…”

But, just as suddenly as his words returned to him, they also disappeared under the icy rage that was Red Robins glare. 

None of them had seen him like this before, not that they could blame him. That was his sister on screen after all.

By the gods, how long had this been going on for? The exchange between the two was obviously well practised, and there was an easy banter that should not have been possible between people that were supposed to be enemies. 

Dimly she wondered if they would have ever discovered what was going on if Luthor hadn’t decided to taunt them like this. 

She doesn’t like the answer she comes up with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was planning to wait until I'd finished this before posting it, but I have absolutely no impulse control so...  
> enjoy


	2. Chptr2 - Insights and Revelations: The curious mind of one Jayla Todd

Adrenaline and dopamine thrummed through her system as the elevator doors closed behind her, the euphoric rush caused by a successful deal making it easy to ignore the newest cracks generated from Lex picking at things best left untouched.

Mechanically, she began to redress herself. Mind drifting as it often did after such situations. She was safe, for the moment at least, so she didn’t try to rein in her thoughts as much as she probably should have as they begin to wander.

There was a time, back when she was smaller and weaker, where such situations left her with a toxic feeling twisting beneath her skin and an empty stomach. But it’s been so long now and she’s been through so much since then that she had honestly forgotten why she ever felt like that. 

Sex is sex.

It can be a tool for manipulation, a form of easy pleasure, a source of power in magic and a bargaining chip in deals to make things go her way. 

It’s intimate and makes you vulnerable in all the best and worst ways but all the truest artforms are like this. 

Sex in her mind she supposes, is a bit like fighting. Multiple forms and ways to use it but at the end of the day it’s just another weapon in her arsenal. More subtle than her guns but no less effective.

Briefly she thinks back on what Lex had said. 

Everything with him had a double meaning. Even the most innocuous statements could have a game or tantalising tidbit hidden within it. It’s one of the reasons she enjoys interacting with him so much. Besides the fantastic sex of course.

For all Lexy preferred to get straight down to business there are few others besides him who understood the sheer power and artistry of words as well as she does. Lex may be an ass but his words were just as much his shield as they were his sword. It was how he kept the public eating out of his hand even after everything he had done after all.

Now what exactly had he meant by- oh. He wanted her to tell the Teen Titans about her dealings. 

At least the one she had with him concerning them anyway. But why?

Doing so wouldn’t help him in any way. He could be suggesting out of a belief that it would make her own life easier but she failed to see how. Things were just fine as they were and there was no need to change it. 

The people she loved were protected and she was happy. 

Or, well, she was getting there anyway. Not being unhappy had to count for something right?

Whatever intention her friend had behind his suggestion didn’t matter.

Everything was fine the way it was.

She was fine the way she was.

She didn’t need to talk to the Teeny Tiny Titans or worse the  _ Bats _ about her arrangements. All she was doing was protecting her family. Something that they all did!

Even if her methods were a bit extreme compared to there’s it wasn’t a big deal and she just knew that if word got back to B -which it would if she told- and she would never hear the end of it!

It would be just another thing to throw in her face when he was pissed at her.

Bastard.

So no. 

She wouldn’t be taking Lex’s advice.

Jayla had never been one to do what she’s told, so why start now?

Satisfied she finished fastening her belt before straightening just in time for the elevator doors to open.

With an easy grin and slight tipping of her head as she passed Mercy, Jayla disappeared through the hidden entrance to Lex’s private car park.

She had things to do and her little brothers playdate with Lex had already set her behind schedule as it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jay sweetheart you so need therapy
> 
> sorry not sorry this isn't very long


	3. Chptr3 - Interventions: aka Therapeutic Screaming Matches

Staging an intervention was surprisingly easy, all it really took was a phone call about a potential case and Tim asking Hood to come over in order to better trade information and maybe even work out the details for a team up later on down the line and they had her.

Though if Eddie’s being honest with himself, he’s pretty sure that the intervention itself isn’t going to go half as well as the set up.

The JayJay he knew pre-death wasn’t nearly the reckless hot head everyone liked to say she was but even she would have been beyond pissed about what was about to happen.

JayJay had her lines and you did not cross them.

What’s more, what little of her he’d seen in the aftermath of her resurrection whilst dealing with his own issues suggested she would take it even worse this go around.

The sly way they were going about it wasn’t going to win them any points either, and neither was the way they intended to just spring this all on her.

Jay may have preferred the direct approach, but she tended to respond better if you didn’t just go in guns blazing or with pre-made assumptions.

She especially didn’t like being cornered and this was exactly that.

Maybe he should trust Tim’s judgement on this seeing as he had actually spoken with her semi regularly over the last few years but everything inside of him is telling him that this wasn’t going to end well.

Hopefully, she didn’t eviscerate them like she once threatened to do when he’d made the mistake of pressing too much about her past when they’d first met. Something tells him that she’s much better equipped to pull such a thing off this time around.

Grimacing slightly as he started to realise just how badly he wanted to back out, Eddie opened his mouth to speak only to flinch slightly at the sound of a window opening.

Too late now.

She was here.

Shifting in his seat, he watched as she entered from the door that led to the Kitchen. Her hair was a wild mess thanks to the wind currents that surrounded Titans tower but the reckless grin on her face as she brushed a few strands out of the way behind her ear told him that she didn’t really care.

The next few moments were filled with idle chatter and a steadily growing tension as no one wanted to be the one to address the elephant in the room.

Jay was just regaling them with a definitely exaggerated recounting of her team’s most recent mission in space whilst simultaneously ribbing him and everyone else about their ‘fabulous’ new hairstyle courtesy of a prank gone wrong when Tim Broke in and ratcheted the tension up to about 1000 with an icily spoken; “Why.”

Evidently their fearsome leader had lost patience, he couldn’t help but think bitterly.

He knew it was wrong to feel upset about it given the reason behind it being entirely valid, but ever since the revelation about his JayJay, Tim’s temper had progressively grown shorter and shorter.

He was sick of it.

More than that though, he was genuinely concerned that if their leader didn’t get his shit together, he was going to drive her off before they could get anything out of her over what was going on.

“What?” queried Jayla.

He had no doubts that she’d heard Tim, but it was just like Jay to drag out a conversation in order to punish someone for the arbitrary offence of having not bothered to use their manners.

“Why Jayla.”

“Why what Tim.” This time there was an undertone to her voice that set everyone’s teeth on edge.

Tread carefully it said.

Though he doubted Tim would listen thanks to his current anger.

“You know what Hood!”

“I really fucking don’t asshole. Look, whatever the fuck is going on Tim just ask me straight and stop with the cryptic bullshit, you should know by now how much I despise it. Why what Tim?!”

“Why the fuck did you think it was okay to whore yourself to Luther in order to protect me!”

Eddie had expected a lot of things when that demand bulldozed past Red Robin's lips. Rage, Anger, Hood trying to shoot them all and what little working relationship they had with her going down the drain. What the hell had the stupid bird brain been thinking.

Honestly though, he would have preferred it if she’d reacted like that over what actually happened.

All colour drained from her face and she recoiled like she had been physically slapped and her eyes briefly glazed over.

“Tim!” screeched Cassie but the damage had obviously already been done.

Not that Tim seemed able to recognise that, too caught up in his own rage at the perceived betrayal.

Because that was what this was to Red.

A betrayal.

“Did you think I’d be happy?! Grateful! What the hell were you thinking Jayla?”

“No offense Tim but last I checked I don’t have to keep you abridged of my sex life” she responded waspishly, skilfully avoiding the question.

But Tim would not, could not be deterred.

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it Jay. I wouldn’t give a damn but if you’re selling yourself to fix my mistakes then it becomes my problem. Why Jay? I mean seriously, what were you thinking?”

“First of all you were never supposed to know-“

“Like that makes it any better!”

“-and second of all I was thinking that even if you did find out, you of all people would understand Tim.”

Red Robin's anger choked and died at the unexpected remark and he blinked at her owlishly and with open mouth surprise as he tried to speak before halting each time a sentence formed on his tongue.

He eventually chose to remain quiet rather than say anything more and in Eddie's opinion it was the smartest decision he’d made in days.

The rage present in Jayla’s eyes made it quite clear that anyone stupid enough to speak right now would be torn a new one.

After giving them each a once over that made him personally want to shrivel up and die rather than face the fiery green flames of wrath present within her eyes, the woman turned back to face Tim and bit out as she attempted not to lose control; “Fuck you Tim.

Fuck you and your judgemental, hypocritical bullshit!

Considering the crap, you’ve pulled to protect the people you care about you have no room to judge. or are you forgetting what you did whilst working with Ra’s.”

Panic flitted across Tim’s face before it settled on guilt; “I thought you said you un-”

“I do Tim and that’s the point. If you can cross lines in order to protect others why can't I?”

“It's not the sa-“

“IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME!!! We both use what we have at our disposal to get what we want and protect what we love. We look after everyone we can regardless of the cost to ourselves as we know it will hurt worse to lose them!

For Fuck sake Tim, we would both rather have the people we love consider us monsters than watch them die because at least then they’re alive!

Because we know that the only thing worse than having them hate us would be knowing they were dead because we weren’t willing to go far enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> double update  
> *shocked*  
> do not get used to this


End file.
